


Something in the Way

by lietpol



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Bruises, Bullying, M/M, Nightmares, Past, angst but not really, carlos is shy, chad is an ass, cute lil kid carlos and jay, dude is adorable, idk what else to tag, jay is shy, jaylos, mal and evie are concerned moms, tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 22:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4496940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lietpol/pseuds/lietpol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a blur of movement, Chad was on the ground next to him, holding his bleeding nose.</p><p>Jay had punched him.</p><p>Chad stumbled into a standing position, glaring daggers at Jay. "You'll pay for that, you scum."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something in the Way

**Author's Note:**

> this was typed really fast a 2 am im so sorry for any errors lmao
> 
> I fixed that really weird sentence mistake

Carlos looked at his reflection in the mirror. He never understood Evie's obsession with looking at herself, but he figured most of it was due to her mother. After a while, it started to feel weird. Like he knew it was his reflection, but he had the strangest feeling that somebody else was staring at him. He shrugged it off and looked around his and Jay's shared room. They had just finished a game of Tourney. It was exciting to see people cheering for them, for  _him._

The door swung open when Jay walked in, covered in sweat and breathing quickly.

"Dude, you look disgusting" Carlos laughed. Jay shrugged and grinned, running up to the shorter boy to give him a bear hug. He picked Carlos up easily, squeezing him tightly as he laughed. Carlos visibly shuddered, a disgusted look playing on his features. He broke free of Jay's smothering hug, gasping dramatically.

"JAY, that is so gross, why would you ever, this is like the best shirt I own, do you see this fur? This is precious. You could have messed up my hair, or worse, my-"

Jay slapped a hand over Carlos' mouth. "Shhh." His skin smelled like sweat and grass, which wasn't very pleasant. Carlos thought about licking his hand to gross him out, but then realized that, knowing Jay, he wouldn't be phased , Carlos would probably be more grossed out. Instead, he opted for tickling Jay. If anyone was extremely ticklish, it was Jay. Carlos whipped his arms outward, his hands tickling Jay's stomach relentlessly. Jay gasped before letting out a half laugh, half scream. Jay fell to his knees and Carlos smirked, pinning him down to the ground as he tickled the long haired boy.

"Well, that's not surprising to see." Evie's smirk was malicious.  _Shit_. Carlos knew she was going to tell Mal about what she saw. They would be teased for all eternity. Those two would never let them live this moment down. They untangled their limbs, attempting to steady their quick breaths. Their eyes locked on each other before breaking into laughter. Evie sighed, but eventually began laughing as well.

After a good minute or so of laughing at one another, she composed herself, a smile still playing at her lips as Jay grabbed Carlos into a head lock. "We really need to get going," Evie informed, "we have a class to attend. You know, how to be... good. Don't tell Mal, but I think it may be rubbing off on me." Carlos sighed dramatically and slumped in Jay's head lock. Jay laughed before he pushed the boy forward and smacked his ass. "Up and at 'em, Carlos."

To say Carlos looked shocked was an understatement. His face had gone red, his eyes drastically wide. Only for a moment, though. He regained his dignity, returning Jay's smack. "Thanks, for the love tap, babe" he said sarcastically. "Anytime, my sweet."

"Well, when you two are done pretending to totally not be flirting right now, we need to get going." Evie shook her head at the two, walking away from them.

Class was not very thrilling, just the basics. Don't pick pocket people while having a conversation, no cursing others for fun. The usual. They sat through it all, pretending to be well behaved, and answering the questions with the option that sounded the least fun.

The torture ended. They were finally released. Mal and Evie left, saying something about needing to go do research for " _a thing_ " in the library. Jay suggested heading out to the field to practice, which Carlos agreed to, even though he pretty much tanked at sports. Especially Tourney.

As they made their way to the field, Carlos noticed something pacing back and forward. Well, it was like a tiny dot moving rather quickly. He squinted at the same time Jay began laughing. Carlos looked to the other boy. "What's so funny, yea?"

"Well, that is a dog, my friend." Jay put a hand on Carlos' shoulder just before he could take off. The dog must have realized they were here, as it came running towards them.

The small brown dog eyed the two boys, tail wagging fiercely. His paw moved a single inch, and Carlos found himself frozen to the spot. Jay looked at him, then at the dog, then back to Carlos. He bent down and picked the small dog up, holding it at Carlos' face. The dog sniffed for a moment. Carlos looked like he was ready to bolt, but he looked utterly confused when he realized that the dog was now licking his cheek.

"D-dude. Why isn't it biting me... Why is it just.. licking?"

"Not all dogs are bad, Carlos." Jay grinned, attempting to hand Carlos the dog. He took it, unsure of what to do next. They stood there for a while, the dog licking Carlos happily. It was getting late, and the first few stars were beginning to cut through the hazy sky when Chad approached. He saw Carlos and Jay, a sneer distorting his handsome features.

"What are you two freaks doing out here?" He spotted the dog in Carlos' arms. "Wow, the mutt can hold a dog and not make a mess in his pants? Impressive, I must say."

"Huh, and here I thought you were just a narcissistic airhead, but maybe you do have some intelligence! Those are some rude things to say to someone,  _Charming"_  Jay remarked, clapping his hands. Carlos grinned, setting the dog down next to him. "Yea, Chad. Who knew you could use words with more than two syllables? Congrats, dude."

Chad glared at Carlos before looking at Jay. "Whatever,  _freaks._ You can insult me all you want, but I am infinitely better than youwill ever be. You'll never fit in here." He sauntered past the two, bumping into Carlos hard enough to send him sprawling on the ground. Chad paused for a moment to look back. "Oops, I'm sorry. People really shouldn't leave their trash out like that."

In a blur of movement, Chad was on the ground next to him, holding his bleeding nose.

Jay had punched him.

Chad stumbled into a standing position, glaring daggers at Jay. "You'll pay for that, you scum." He spun on his heel, running the opposite direction.

"Well, that's gonna leave a bruise." Carlos heaved himself up, brushing the grass off his pants and sighing. Jay stood, watching the retreating form of Chad, a possessive hand resting on Carlos' shoulder. "We should be heading back to the room."

"Yea."

They walked together in silence, Jay's hand never leaving Carlos' shoulder.

When they made it to their room, Carlos peeled his shirt off swiftly and stood in front of the mirror to stare at his shoulder. It was a little red and sore, but he would live. He could always cover it up.

Jay was quiet, sitting on his bed and probably staring a hole into his comforter.

"Why are you so angry?" Carlos sat on the other boy's bed, vaguely remembering that he was not wearing a shirt. Jay squinted at him, then down to his shoulder. His eyes held a burning anger in them. "They treat us like shit, it's not like we want to be here, but we're also just kids. Kids, man. Sure, we do bad things, but nothing compared to what our parents have done. There is no need to take out their ridiculous anger on us. Well, mostly you."

Carlos opened his mouth, then closed it.

Jay was right.

Ever since they arrived at Auradon, the only one to be pushed around was him. Jay was tall and fit and intimidating. Evie was just Evie, and Mal was slowly becoming more popular. He just shrugged. He never really cared about what happened to him, just that his friends were safe. If that meant taking all the physical bullying, then so be it. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Jay. I'll be fine." He smiled, but Jay still looked upset.

"Seriously, it's fine. Chad has poisoned apples for brains."

"Did you seriously just say poisoned apples for brains?"

"You're questioning it?" Jay grinned, resting his hand on Carlos' unhurt shoulder. "Go put a shirt on man, it's freezing in here."

"Are you sure that's why you want me to put a shirt on?" Carlos smirked. He didn't mean to be so flirty, that was Jay's thing. Sometimes he couldn't help it.

"Why else would I want you to put a shirt on?" Carlos could hear something in Jay's voice, but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. He shrugged a shirt on, wincing when he lifted his arms and moved his shoulder. Ignoring the dull pain, he made his way to his bed, but Jay grabbed his wrist and pulled Carlos to his bed. Jay crawled in while Carlos stood next to the bed uncertainly. The taller boy raised an eyebrow before lifting the sheets and beckoning Carlos to get in next to him.

"Why am I laying in your bed?"

"I can hear you having nightmares like every night, man. Plus today was a rough day, I don't mind a little company every once in a while."

Carlos laughed, snuggling up to Jay.

"Goodnight, Jay."

"Night... Carlos? Would you tell me what you're having nightmares about?"

Carlos tensed. "Well, they're usually about my mom."

Jay nodded, he knew how wicked Cruella could really be. Carlos' breaths began to even out, slowing down slightly. He reminisced on old memories, like becoming friends with Jay. That was a messy event.

He had always been closest to the son of Jafar. Their friendship started when Jay attempted to steal a coat of Cruella's. Naturally, she freaked out.

_Carlos ran into the room and stared at the scene in front of him. The nearly 8 year old Jay was eyeing the coats, while Carlos' mother pulled Jay away, threatening him. Carlos jumped between them, making his mother release the child. Jay ran behind Carlos, grabbing onto his waist. Cruella was fuming, staring at Carlos as if he had the rarest of all diseases. She slapped him across the face, huffing as she walked out of the room. Carlos turned to Jay, looking at the boy._

_"Are you okay?" he asked. Jay nodded, and Carlos grabbed his hand and pulled him to the kitchen, offering him some water. Jay sipped slowly as Carlos spoke. "You should give the stuff you took from me back." Jay looked shocked and Carlos grinned at him. "I could feel your hands in my pockets. I just don't want to get into any more trouble today." Jay nodded, handing Carlos the various objects he had taken._

_"What's your name?"_

_"Jayden, but most people call me Jay." Carlos nodded. "Nice to meet you then, Jay. I'm Carlos. Sorry about my mom. She tends to overreact." Jay laughed, finishing his water. Carlos seemed nice enough to keep around as a friend. They talked for a while, trading stories about their parents. The company of one another was relaxing. Eventually, Jay had to return home. Carlos continued to spend time with the boy, even though their parents didn't get along well. They didn't mind though, they had each other's company._

Ever since then, Carlos had considered Jay his best friend.

Laying by Jay's side, Carlos began to slip into a quiet slumber.

This time, there was no nightmare.

Carlos let out a satisfied sigh, his eyes fluttering open slowly.

_Shit, what the fuck?_

Carlos couldn't think of anything better to sum up this situation. He was curled into Jay's side, their legs tangled together. One of Jay's arms was slung across Carlos' waist, the other behind his head. He wondered if he should move away without waking Jay, at the same time, a fleeting thought of staying here for a while ran through his brain.

He didn't have to decide, however. Jay stirred next to him, stretching out his legs before opening his eyes. He turned his head and smiled sleepily at Carlos. "Morning."

"Wait, what? You don't think there is anything weird with this right now?" Carlos asked, perplexed.

"Oh, I probably should have warned you that I suffer from CCS."

"CCS?"

Jay laughed, "Chronic cuddler syndrome. It's not a real thing, but I love cuddling. But don't tell Mal or Evie, okay?"

Carlos grinned and patted Jay's shoulder, promising he wouldn't tell anyone. They crawled out of Jay's bed somewhat clumsily, Carlos sliding his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Jay followed him in soon after, removing his clothes. Carlos raised a brow, but didn't say anything. The rush of water made Carlos jump, which in turn made Jay give him a funny look.

"Sorry, I'm just jumpy I guess."

Jay narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he stepped into the shower before he could do anything he'd regret.

Carlos threw on his clothes, ran his fingers through his hair, and stared at his reflection. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but he looked paler than usual. Maybe he was just getting sick. Or it could be the lighting. He wasn't going to think about it much.

He was starving, unsure of whether he should wait for Jay to come with him. He left the room in favor of heading to Evie and Mal's. Unluckily for him, he bumped into the one person he had hoped to avoid.

Chad's face twisted into a terrifying grin. "Told him you'd pay." Carlos made to run, but Chad wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into an empty side room. He quickly shut the door, locking it in the process.

"Now, what should I do to you? Any suggestions?" Chad sneered. Carlos smirked. "Hows about you let me go, we'll pretend this never happened. You can go on living your wonderful happy fantasy life with all your happy-go-lucky friends. Sounds good, right?"

Chad scoffed, his fists curling tightly as he landed a solid blow to Carlos' face.

"It does sound good, but getting to give a villain a taste of their own medicine is even better." He grabbed Carlos' arm, slamming him into the wall. "You are scum, you should  _not_  be at this school."

"Well, I'm sad to inform you that Ben selected us specifically. Can't really help you out there, Chad. Besides, we can't be all that bad if we were chosen to come here!" Carlos huffed.

"Your parents are disgraceful. And since it seems you won't be leaving anytime soon, this could be a way to take my mind off of their horrendous crimes."

"Again with the big words! Someone has been studying." Carlos grinned.

He immediately regretted this. Chad continued his barrage of punches and kicks. Carlos kept quiet the entire time. He couldn't give Chad the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

Carlos stumbled weakly to his room, praying Jay was still in the shower. He quickly thanked whoever was listening when he heard the sound of running water. Carlos grabbed the vial of concealer he had attained since Chad decided to use him as a personal punching bag. Lonnie had given it to him. He was surprised that she never wondered why he would need it. The stuff worked really well, which was probably due to the magic in it. It covered the nastiest of his bruises. He covered all the bruises and scratches, making sure that none of his friends would see them. As the sound of water ceased, Carlos tossed the concealer back into his drawer. He left the room before Jay could see him, instead heading to Mal and Evie's room.

The two girls were wearily preparing themselves for another day of school. They collectively yawned as they worked, but eventually the girls and Carlos were ready to head out. They walked quietly down the halls, Jay running to catch up with them, hair still damp. The dining hall was fairly empty, so they grabbed their food and headed to the table.

As they sat around their usual space, Mal couldn't help but notice the uncharacteristic quietness from Carlos. The boy seemed to be totally disconnected from the world as he gazed at the wall.

"Carlos? You alright?" Mal questioned.

No response. Evie turned her gaze to the white haired boy, seeing the way he wasn't eating, the way his skin looked a few shades off. She reached over and snapped her fingers in front of him. He jumped, clearly startled, before meeting the eyes of three concerned friends. He hated seeing the worry in their eyes, knowing that he was causing them any form of stress.

Jay was the first to speak. "Carlos? What's up, bro? You've been acting really odd lately."

"Yea," Evie joined in, "and your skin is extremely pale. You could like, out-pale Mal."

Mal scoffed, but she smiled gently at Carlos. "Will you tell us what's wrong?" He placed his head in his hands and sighed before looking up.

"If I told you guys, you'd probably overreact and most likely get yourselves sent back to the Isle. It really isn't a big deal anyways." Carlos tried to reason with them.

"Well, your mental health is more important than staying in this place. To us anyways." Jay informed, Mal and Evie nodded in agreement.

Carlos looked down to his shoes. He  _desperately_  wanted to tell them what was wrong, but he feared the ramifications. He knew if he told them, they would immediately take matters into their own hands. Jay was watching him carefully, his expression one of deep sadness.

"Please tell us, Carlos. We care about you so much. We just want to help. If we promise not to overreact, could you consider sharing what is bothering you?" Jay pleaded.

Carlos considered this for a moment. He looked into each pair of eyes. He could trust his friends. "Promise me you guys won't go nuts?"

There was a chorus of "We promise." Carlos sighed, grabbing at his hair. He angled his face so that the right side of his chin faced his friends. Slowly, he dragged a hand across the skin, wiping away the concealer. He continued down his neck, across his arms, even onto his legs.

" _Carlos...what the fuck?"_ Jay grabbed his arm, examining the secrets Carlos tried so hard to hide. Every bruise, every scratch, every mark revealed. Each was a dark, brownish-green hue. The bruises were massive, especially the one along his chin.

Evie looked like she might cry, and Mal had a hand covering her mouth, eyes wide as they took in the sight of his bruises. Jay still had a hold on his arm, his other hand softly caressing the bruise on Carlos' cheek. He instinctively flinched, and Jay pulled back.

 _"Who would do this to you? And why?"_  Mal's face was a mask of passive interest, her voice the only thing betraying how she really felt. Carlos felt himself shrug. He was detaching himself from the situation, letting his brain supply his mouth with incessant babbling.

"It isn't that big of a deal, guys. I was just trying to protect you by taking all the shit myself. I really didn't want you to find out... But I can't tell you who did it, I might be bad, but I'm not a snitch. I'll be fine. I'm pretty much immune to it now, it doesn't even hurt when it happens." Evie shook her head sadly at him.

"Carlos, you have to tell us who did it. It's for your own good. Plus, it would make us all really glad to know that we can return the favor and keep you safe." She had tears in her eyes as she spoke, but they did not fall. She was not raised to weep so freely.

Jay was outraged, his voice tight and clipped. "I know who it was."

Carlos practically pleaded with Jay between their shared looks. Carlos did not want any drama because of him. "Jay, don't..."

"Why, Carlos? So he can continue doing this shit? So we can pretend you're  _not_   _in pain all the time_ , and watch you try to play it cool? No, Mal and Evie deserve to know. All we want is for you to be the normal Carlos again. We'll fix this." He turned to face Mal and Evie. "It was Chad. I should have known there was something up when we were on the field that day.. He was so rude to Carlos and me. Called us all sort of names. But he pushed Carlos, knocked him to the ground. I punched him," Mal grinned at this," but he told us we 'would pay.' I guess that meant he was going to beat the shit out of Carlos."

"He said that taking his frustration out on me was basically his way of having our parents atone for their crimes? He's missing a few screws."

Mal had a vicious grin on her face. "Well then, we'll just have to get back at him. I think I know just the plan..."

The next day commenced, and if anyone asked the villains why Chad was dangling from one of the castle's battlements by his underwear, well... They were villains, after all.

Jay never left Carlos' side, Mal glared at anyone who looked at Carlos in any way that wasn't considered normal, and Evie, that mirror of hers was pretty intimidating.

Carlos noticed that his bruises were fading, and that he could finally start to feel like himself again. Chad hadn't even approached him since he was removed from the battlements. He was overjoyed to finally be left alone, his friends guaranteeing Chad wouldn't lay a finger on Carlos ever again.

It was moments later that Carlos found himself on a bench near the field with Jay, that the dog from the not-so-great run in with chad approached them. He jumped onto the bench and curled himself into a ball on Carlos. The boy looked down at the dog, then looked at Jay.

"I think I'm going to keep this dog."

"Are you sure? Aren't you scared of them?" Jay asked, concerned.

"Not this one, I think I'll call him Dude."

"Dude? That's so predictable." They laughed for a while, both affectionately petting the small dog.

"Carlos, can I tell you something? It's kind of personal.."

"Of course, bro. You can always tell me stuff. I love listening. "

"Okay, this might seem super weird, but I needed to get it off my chest... I've had a crush on you ever since you saved me from your mom all those years ago. Of course then, it was more like hero worship, but eventually I realized I saw you as more than my best friend. You were always there, and you always cared for me. You're beautiful, Carlos. And I think I maybe, sorta... Love you? I don't really expect you to feel the same way, I mean we've been friends since, like, before we could-"

Jay's speech was cut short when a warm pair of lips covered his own. It was short and chaste, but in it held every emotion Carlos could muster. And Jay understood. His smile was so bright, his eyes alight with hope, something Carlos had never witnessed before.

"Carlos, will you go out with me?"

Carlos nodded, his smile rendering his words useless as he hugged Jay tightly. When he finally had the ability to speak, he sucked in a deep breath. "I never really knew how I felt about you until just a few weeks ago. I think I realized it when we were in the car, and you shared that sweet and salty candy with me. Something about that really made me look at you in a different way. But I was too shy to admit it."

Jay laughed, grabbing Carlos' hand that wasn't petting Dude. "I'm so happy this worked out the way it did. I think seeing you all beat up made me realize how fragile life is. I never would have had the courage to ask you out before. But I do hope I never have to see you like that again. That was  _hell_. "

Carlos nodded sheepishly. "I'm sorry for making you guys worry, I didn't think it would get so out of hand. But I don't think I would have had the courage to ask you out either, so maybe we should thank Chad." he laughed.

"I'm not thanking that asshat for anything. I hope that mega wedgie from the battlements left a mark."

"Aw, Jay. You're so  _charming_."

"Shut up, Carlos." Jay grinned as he brought their lips together again, wrapping his arms around his  _boyfriend_. Between them, Dude barked happily.

Behind a tree, near the multitude of benches, a certain lovely lady with a magic mirror was heading out to tell her best friend everything she had just seen.


End file.
